WALKING COMPANION - My sister Rhia
WEATHER- Warm and sunny.
1 1/4 HOUR WALK
BOOK 3
We start at Arthur Barnetts...the house not the department store that I'm sure many of us have fond memories of growing up. Number 34 Alva St was built in 1938, 35 years after the store was established. Arthur Barnett lived here until his death in 1959. It is now an upmarket heritage hotel. Crossing over to what is now a building site but was once High Street School. Opening in 1887 it was the largest 2 storied wooden school in New Zealand and had a roll of 600, it was demolished in 1983 and replaced with a modern building and eventually closed its doors in 2011.
We carefully cross High St to Pokohiwi ( meaning shoulder of the hill ) or as most people will know it Alva House. This grand spacious home which has enough bedrooms to accomodate over 28 boarders was built in the mid 1880s for Mr A S Paterson, an importer of grains, seeds and sugar, and his family who lived here until his death in 1940 .It was extended once in the early 1900s and then again in the 1940s. It was bequeathed to the Presbyterian Church and was used as a church training college for 30 years. it was sold many times ( between 1983 and 1990 5 times ) and after many years of use as a boarding house became a bit run down and in need of a spruce up. It was sold in 2017 and the new owners closed the boarding house, fully renovated ( keeping and restoring the character features ) and reopened as Pokohiwi once again and offering quality accommodation
Heading down High Street ( once home to many medical professionals ) we're spoilt for choice by beautiful heritage homes, Moata at 434 High St is the first of many. Built in 1900 for Lesley Wolford Harris, director of Bing Harris Limited and designed by Arthur Salmond it is a large family home with 5 bedrooms, dining, sitting, living/sunroom and study, the servants wing was converted into a self contained flat many many years ago. In 1913 it was bought by by Sir Henry Lindo Ferguson, Dean of Otago Medical School . Since then many people have owned Moata but the current owners bought it in 1988 and have obviously taken good care of it. I love the intricate exterior decoration and can imagine the beautiful interior character features.
Rahiri is another lovely large family home, 425 High St was built in 1898 for James Nimmo and his family. It once had a large grounds but was subdivided early on so is now surrounded by houses rather than lawn, I imagine the view from the will be quite lovely. We turn down William St ( it was very tempting to continue down High St to explore but that can wait for another time) and stop opposite number 2. This was South District School, built in 1863 and is the oldest surviving Robert Lawson building in Dunedin. It was closed in 1887 and the children moving up to High St School. It was converted into flats in the 1940s and I'm assuming it's still flats. I'd love to see if there were still original details remaining.
Round to Alva St and head up the pathway through the trees beside the very Mediterranean looking house. Note even the council have problems spelling Eglinton Road!!
Over to McGeorge Avenue and stop outside number 5. Woodhead was once surrounded by 5 acres of land and was originally 131 Eglinton Rd. Built in 1880 for Mr Hugh McNeil who managed Arthur Briscoes and Co ( now known as just Briscoes ) sold in 1909 to Mr John Crow McGeorge who with his brothers Joseph, Alex and James owned Electric Gold Dredging Company and had 3 gold dredges running on the Kawarau River from 1895-1919. After Johns death in 1923 the majority of the 5 acres was subdivided and by the 1950s it had been converted into 6 flats. Now called Woodhead Manor it has been lovingly restored by the owners who reside on the ground floor and use upstairs as heritage hotel accommodation.
As I'm not young and fit anymore it's time for a sit down. Over to Unity Park for a rest courtesy of Thomas Brown (owner of Brown Ewing and Co and Mornington Borough Mayor ) who donated this park bench almost 100 years ago. Unity Park was named after the Unity Soccer Club that was based here for a very short time in 1902 it then became a council rubbish dump until 1930. Back up Eglinton Rd to end up at Mornington Park. If it's the weekend you should be lucky enough to see the old Roslyn and Mornington cable cars out at the Interim Cable Car Building. Dunedin was the 2nd place in the world to have cable cars, San Francisco being the first, the Roslyn route was first in 1882 followed by Mornington in 1883 then Kaikorai in 1900. The last cable car ran in Dunedin in 1957.
Parkhill Avenue next stopping at the corner of Meadow St. Mornington Hotel resided here from 1871 -1976 (when it was demolished ) although it was only a pub until 1903 when it lost it's liquor licence. Have a nosy over the fence into the perfectly formed vegetable garden and you will see the surviving hotel walls, the rest of the hotel was used to fill in the cellar.
We cross Hawthorn and up Lonsdale till we get to the pathway going through the Town Belt, Mr Hayward calls this path enchanting, I disagree, I call it strenuous and painful. Ok maybe I'm exaggerating but my advice is take your time. Thank goodness there's another Thomas Brown seat awaiting us at the top.
Looking south you can see Venard- The Mornington Manor House or as I called it since I was a child The Witches House. Built in 1898 for William Alexander Moore and designed by J L Salmond it is 3,000 sq ft with a huge entrance hall, stunning staircase and 7 fire places. Captain Robert Falcon Scott stayed here on 28th November 1910, his last night in New Zealand before sailing to the Antarctic a trip he didn't return from. It was renovated back to it's former glory in the early 80s by Jill and Allan Binnie after being converted into flats many years earlier .And of course there's a ghost story....a womanly figure has been seen playing the piano on the landing. Definitely on my list of houses to buy when I win Lotto.
Now turning east to see Wharekua (The Red House) nestled amongst the Town Belt. Built in the early 1890s for Henry Crust, a city councillor from 1898 - 1907. Under that roughcast is totara, and the walls are paneled with rimu from the 1889-1890 NZ and South Seas Exhibition. And of course a beautiful crystal chandelier and Italian black marble fireplace ( I was lucky enough to tour inside recently and it was stunning) , it's been in the same family since 1969.
Now we head down the path through the town belt coming out on Maori Road and on to Jubilee Park ( named for the golden jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887), which was a local council rubbish dump in the 1930s and wasn't sown in grass till 1955. We're instructed to go to the far end of park to see the badly vandalized Victoria Grove Monument, we were pleasantly surprised and I'm sure Paul Hayward will be as well to see this.......
We retrace our steps back to Maori Road and wander down it admiring both numbers 47 and 56 before crossing Serpentine Ave and stopping outside The Argoed ( Welsh for near the trees ), the large wooden house at number 504 Queens Drive. Built in the 1880s by George Hill Wilson Mackisak it was leased out and used as the Vicarage for St Marys Anglican Church. Reverend Charles Stuart Bowden resided here until 1900 when James Alexander Roberts ( son of former mayor Sir John Roberts ) bought the property. It stayed in the Roberts family until the 1950s and subsequent owners used it as a boarding house in the 1960s and 70s. Since 1980 it has been owned by Bruce and Wendy Aitken, first used as their family home and now as a bed and breakfast ( which I plan on spending a night at very
soon), the front of the house was used in the film Sylvia in 2002.
Continuing up Queens Drive until we reach Montpellier Street stopping outside Glamis Hospital once a private hospital it was sold in 2011 and in 2014 it was left vacant by the overseas owner which then began the downward spiral of vandalism, squatters etc leading to 3 destructive fires in 2017 and 2018 destroying the majority of the original house. I have very strong personal opinions about land bankers, it's gutting to see a building with such potential rotting away.
Anyway back at the car after a very interesting and educating walk.
CONCLUSION- Great walk, reasonably easy. So many heritage houses to gawk at.
BIBLIOGRAPHY AND PHOTO CREDITS-
Houses and Homes series by Lois Galer
Houses of Dunedin by Lois Galer
Dunedin A Pictorial History by David Johnson
Otago Cavalcade
Upright! Exploring Dunedins Built Heritage (Facebook )
Built in Dunedin ( blog/website )
www,argeod,co,nz
www,cablecars,co,nz
dunedin-amneties-society.org.nz.